Improvement in tunnels



0. B. DOWD.

TunneL PatentedSe men-1875 No. I68,l46.

WITNESSES ATTBBNER N.PETF.RS, PHQTO-UYHOGRAPHER. WASHINGYON. D. O

g is a specification:

- to the OLNEY B. Down; or. "NEW-YORK, N. Y.

PATENT OFFICE.

' rMPaovEMENT' IN TU'NNELS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 168,146, dated September28, 1875; application filed 7 i M August 6, 1875.

(Lisa B.

To all whom it may doncem Be it known that I, OLNEY B. Down, of thecity, county, and State of New York, have invented new] and usefulImprovements in Tunnels, Sewers, &c, of which the following My inventionconsists, essentially, of the construction of the walls of tunnels andsewers of sections of elliptical tube, this form being employed to allowotcarrying the sections through the previously-constructed part placewhere they are to be added in the construction'of tunnels underriver-beds,

and in other places where the only access to the work is through thecompleted portion of i e the tunnel. The invention also comprisescertain means of conveying the section's along the tunnel; also, meansof fastening the sections and packing them, and also a contrivance forholding the cage or case employed in advance of the wall for digging"out the bore from being pressed back by the pressure l on the head ofthe case.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal. section of a portion of a tunnel, and thetunneling-case emit ployed in advance of it. Fig. 2 is a detail sectionof the tube forming the tunnel-walls. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionthrough the tun- V neling-case. Fig. 4 is a detail, in section, of

the joint between the tunnel and the tunneling-case.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the case or shield employed for boring the tunnel, and containingthe apparatus for that purpose, and' also being the place in which thetube B, with which the tunnel is lined, is set up. It is a round orelliptical shell of metal, having a head, 0, at the front end,whenworking in places much exposed to water, but may be open'for drytunneling, and at the rear end has an opening of the size and shape ofthe tube B, and a packing, D, and follower or packing-ring surroundingit, topack around the tube water-tight. F represents the sections of thetube, one of which is seen in position to be connected with thepreviously-formed tube, and another is represented in the position inwhich the sections are carried into the case on a truck, consisting oftwo independent plates, G, each having two wheels, H, and beingdetachably clamped to the ends of the sections F by a bolt, 1, so that asection of the tube forms a portion of the truck itself when in workingcondition, and being taken out of the truck when it has arrived in theplace for being set up, the other portions of the truck are lesscumbersome to return past other incoming tube-sections-to the mouth ofthe tunnel than they would'be, together with other devices necessary tomake a complete truck independently of the tube-sections. Thesetube-sections are grooved on one end, as at a, and tapered at the otherend, I), to match tightly one with another, and pack with lead d, and

they are screwed up tight by lugs e and bolts f, or other fastening-forinstance, a twoheaded link, g, and notched lugs h, the link beingelongated by heat, to be applied to the lugs, and drawing them up tightby its contractions in cooling; but in many the sections will be sopressed together by their weight and the earth as not to need anyfastenings. J represents stop-pins, to be used for preventing the casefrom being pressed back on thetun-- nel by pressure against its head,the pins be- 1 ing screwed or otherwise projected out from the inside,as shown, through holes, to be afterward stopped in any approved way.

- The apparatus attached to the head of the case represents some of themeans employed for boring out the tunnel, and is described in anotherapplication for a patent filed by me simultaneously with this.

Havin g thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The tunnel-tube consisting of sections B,

having an elliptical form and smooth exterior surface, and lugs andfastenings or connecting devices on the inner surface, as shown anddescribed, whereby a section may be conveyed through a completed portionof the tube Without impediment, as set forth,

2. The combination of the tunnel-sections B, of elliptical form, and theenlarged case A, as shown and described, whereby the sections may beintroduced through the portion 5.Thc combination of packing 1) and foloftunnel previously made, and. fitted together lowerE with the tunnel Band the case A, subin the case. stantially as specified.

3. The combination of the stop-pins J with tunnel B and tunneling'caseA, substantially v OLNEY B. DOWD.

as specified.

4. The trucks o H and clamping bolt I, Witnesses: combined and arrangedfor coupling with a T. B. MOSHER, tube-section, substantially asspecified. s ALEX; F. ROBERTS.

